


Server Break

by LightingMyWayHome



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Dream SMP Ensemble - Freeform, Dream Smp, Dream gets Fought, Dream gets his ass kicked, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exile!Tommy, Gen, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrid Characters, Minecraft Hybrids, Mourning TommyInnit Stans Come Get Yalls Juice, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Redemption, Rescue, Revolution, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Violence, We Go Feral FOR TommyInnit in this house, add characters as they appear, cursing, sleepy bois inc - Freeform, this got way out of hand how did this get so much plot, this was just meant to be a fight fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:59:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28182789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightingMyWayHome/pseuds/LightingMyWayHome
Summary: Tommy thought his exile would be forever. Just him and Dream for the rest of his life.Until a mysterious stranger appears to whisk him away with the crack of knuckles against a pristine white mask.On the run from Dream, Tommy's now involved with a group of Hackers who've made it clear they'll stop at nothing to take Dream down, once and for all.Tommy will have to fight with everything he has to save his friends and family from the monster the Dream SMP has become, and hope that they'll all make it out in the end.*Now with a Discord!
Relationships: Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF) & Original Character(s), No Romantic Relationship(s), TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF) & Clay | Dream, TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF) & Original Character(s)
Comments: 48
Kudos: 168





	1. HanTheHeart Has Joined The Game

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to clarify something first.  
> Dream the Man is a wonderful human being and has nothing but Respect from me.  
>  _However  
>  C!Dream is a jackass and I want to be violent to him.  
> We got that?  
> Cool.  
>  _This story is me finally writing down the fury I feel at Tommy's exile arc,_ please feel free to project your own fury at this._  
> Edit: _This was just meant to be two chapters of me fighting Dream, how did we get plot_

Tommy cringes as Dream sets the TNT in the hole and lit it. Dull blue eyes watch as the explosives fall to the bottom of the pit, flashing as it descends. He and Dream both step back as the masked man covers the hole with dirt. The ground jumps slightly as the bomb goes off, taking Tommy’s armor and weapons with it.

The blond sighs in defeat before looking up to his companion with a hopeful smile. “So, what should we do today?” He asks, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

Dream shrugs, pocketing his flint and steel. “I think-”

His words are cut off and Tommy notices how the man is staring down at the notification that’s just popped up on their communicators, the silence causing a chill to run up his back. Tommy fumbles to check his own communicator.

_ ‘HanTheHeart has joined the game”  _ is displayed proudly on the screen and Tommy frowns curiously.

“Who’s… Han?” He asks, looking up at Dream. Surely as the owner of the server, Dream  _ knew _ who this name he didn’t recognize was.

Dream stares then quickly pulls up the list of online players, examining the newcomer’s name blankly.

“Dream?”

There’s a sudden flash and Tommy swears his heart shot directly into his throat as time slows.

A brunette wearing a red and black flannel appears beside Dream with one arm reared back, their lips pulled back in a vicious show of teeth, their green eyes shine with a violent intent. Tommy doesn’t even get to open his mouth before the stranger’s fist is smashed into his friend’s face. Dream’s mask cracks, a chunk of the bottom breaking away to show Dream’s mouth open with a surprised shout.

Dream is suddenly on the ground, one hand shooting up to cover his mouth as he groans in pain and Tommy’s aware of his back pressed up against the wall of Logsted. The stranger's eyes are still trained on Dream and they give him no chance to retaliate before they swing one leg back and slam it directly into his gut.

Dream cries out as he rolls over and winds up on his back. His teeth are bared as he hisses out a breath.

The person- who Tommy now assumes to be “HanTheHeart” from the matching face on the player list- slams their foot to the ground and stands over Dream with a furious growl.

“You get a fuckin’ kick outta this, bitch?!” They spit the words as they put their hands on their hips. “Huh?! Where do you get off treatin’ anyone like that?! Fuck’s wrong wiht you?!” They gesture back at him and Tommy feels himself shrink into the wall.

He wants to stop them, pull the other away from Dream but the fury in their eyes is so intense, he’s not sure he can.

Dream struggles up onto his elbows, glaring up at the stranger. “Who the hell even are you?!” He snaps, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth. “How did you get on my server?!”

They scoff and tilt their head to one side. “Call it ‘parental fury’.” They growl out, lips curled back. Suddenly, they’re raising their foot again, aiming to slam it down on Dream again.

This time, the man has the instinct to roll out of the way and scramble to his feet as Han makes fists at their sides.

“Face this like the punishment it is, motherfucker!” Han snaps their teeth.

“You’ve got no right to be interfering!” Dream pulls his Netherite sword from his inventory. “You don’t even know him!” He gestures to Tommy. Han takes the moment to look over their shoulder at the blond. Tommy feels his chest tense at the look Dream makes, clearly wanting him to back him up but his eyes can’t tear away from the look on Han’s face.

All traces of the person who’d come in swinging are gone and Tommy can’t bring himself to break his gaze from theirs. Their eyes are pleading, expression soft and worried. It’s so genuine and coming from someone he doesn’t know, he doesn’t know what to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and ye shall receive! Come one and All to the Official Discord for Server Break!  
> https://discord.gg/E6PjGbjWJU  
> We look forward to seeing you!  
> Got fanart you want us to see? @HanTheHeart on Tumblr or Twitter or add #ServerBreak!


	2. Dream Gets His Shit Kicked In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Violence is a last resort", Han says, socking someone in the jaw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Time to knock a motherfucker down, yeah?!_

Han smiles gently at the blond boy frozen against the wall. He’s so confused and hurt and he looks like shit  _ and they just can’t let this go on _ . They give him a small nod and he seems too confused to do anything but nod back at them with his mouth open slightly with words struggling to get put into sentences in his head.

Haneul turns back to Dream, their expression resuming the furiously violent baring of their teeth and drawn down eyebrows to emphasize their fury. A growl rumbles at the back of their throat as they summon forth the shoddy iron sword they’d stolen from some random chest back at the actually civilized area they’d spawned in. A righteous anger boils in their veins at the way he looks over their shoulder at the quaking boy, as if silently demanding him to move forward.

An arm is thrown up to block the boy from even considering moving forward and blocking him from the masked man.

“You’d better be less concerned about him and more about how I’m going to smash that mask into the back of yer skull.” They snarl fiercely, feeling their skin crawl at how his predatory gaze moves from the boy to Han’s own furious eyes.

“You need to leave.” He says evenly but his nose is visibly wrinkled from his quiet rage. Han can’t help the victorious smirk at seeing him reacting to them like this.

“Not till I knock yer fuckin’ TEETH IN!” The shout and rushes forward, swinging the iron blade.

Dream throws up his own sword in defense, the two blades sparking from the force of the collision. Han growls and pushes their weight into the strike, glaring at the smiling mask that only barely hides the way Dream grits his teeth as he pushes back against them.

They suddenly lean back, dropping to the ground. Off guard, Dream stumbles and trips over the other. Han scrambles back to their feet and jumps onto the taller’s back, locking their legs around his waist.

“EAT KARMA, BITCH!” Han screeches as loud as they can, grabbing at the back of his sweatshirt and pulling it back, making him release his sword to try and keep the fabric from choking him. With their free hand, the brunette begins whaling on Dream’s head and shoulders with a tightly clenched fist.

Dream yells and tries to fend off the blows, swinging one hand to grab at the other while his other fights to keep his shirt collar from digging into his throat. He stumbles back, struggling to keep his balance as the furious brunette continues their assault,  _ and now they’re screeching in his ear as loud as they can. _

He stops for a moment and it’s all the warning Han gets before he’s falling backwards. They struggle to shove off him but only succeed in keeping him from crushing them completely under his body.

Dream smirks, thinking he’s knocked the wind out of his opponent from the gasp of surprise they make at hitting the ground. He goes to get on his elbows only for hands to be brought down on his face and slam him back to the ground.

“I AIN'T DONE WITH YOU!” Han shouts, now sitting up and continuing to whale on the man. They grab at his mask with one hand and yank it off, the string snapping from the force. Dream shouts and throws up his arms to defend his face. Their hands smack against his arms a few times before they’re grabbing his wrist and yanking his arms out of the way.

“See how you like it!” Han snaps, glaring down at him. His eyes widen as they lean back.

Their forehead slams back down into his, a sickening crack that has Dream screaming. He tears his hands from their grasp to cover his face.

“FUCK!” He fumes and Han takes the moment to tear their legs from under his shoulders. As he writhes and Han wastes no time bolting for the horrified blond standing by the wooden wall.

Tommy’s eyes widen and he starts to shrink back. Han grabs his wrist and pulls him behind them as they run.

“Wh-what are you doing?!” Tommy yelps.

“Gettin’ you the fuck outta here!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and ye shall receive! Come one and All to the Official Discord for Server Break!  
> https://discord.gg/E6PjGbjWJU  
> We look forward to seeing you!  
> Got fanart you want us to see? @HanTheHeart on Tumblr or Twitter or add #ServerBreak!


	3. Runaways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Han and Tommy escape Dream

Han’s grip on Tommy’s wrist is tight as they run, the boy stumbling as his mind catches up with what’s going on.

  
“Y-you attacked Dream!” His words seem more surprised than accusing so they decide not to worry about it.

“Yeah, well, he’s kind of a prick!” They shout back at him as they lead the boy across the plain towards the village in the distance. The trees would be good cover and they’d be able to weave between the houses…

A furious yell Han can’t tell if there’s any words to sound from behind.

_ Dream’s up _ .

Han looks over their shoulder to see the fearful expression in the boy’s dulled eyes. Their teeth grit and they reach into their pockets. “Do not let go of me!” They snap as they pull out an Ender pearl. Tommy’s eyes widen as they rear one arm back.

“Where did you- You just joined the server!” He yells.

“Don't worry ‘bout it, I grabbed a lot of shit on the way here!” Han chucks one far to their right, deeper in land.

“Tommy!” Came Dream’s voice and Han feels the boy readjust their grip so he’s clutching their hand tightly. They growl under their breath and chuck another pearl to their left, towards the ocean.

They flash, teleporting on top of a hill far from the village. Han takes the moment to chuck another pearl even farther away. Just as the pearl leaves their hand, they teleport again, this time, landing on the beach the opposite direction.

Dream suddenly appears above them and Tommy chokes out a cry of fear. Han throws themself between the boy and the masked attacker just as he jumps, swinging his sword above his head. Han’s sword is brought up to block and they grin victoriously.

Dream’s sword slams through the remaining puff of smoke and into the sand. He yanks his sword from the sand and growls. Looking around, he finds no trace of the two and his fury skyrockets.

“God DAMNIT, TOMMY!” He shouts, stabbing his sword back into the ground and turns around to slam his fist into the sandy hillside behind him.

Far away, on the other side of the village and hills, Han and Tommy land with another puff of smoke. No time is wasted before Han’s bolting again, Tommy’s struggling to keep up. Han’s steps are sure and quick for someone who’s never been on this land, compared to Tommy’s more unstable and panicked fumbling. Off across the landscape, their breathing quick and heavy.

“Wh-where are we even going?!” Tommy yelps as they jump down a particularly steep hill.

“As far from that mad shit as possible!” Han snaps back, making sure their grip on Tommy’s hand is tight as snow comes into view on the landscape up ahead. “I need to make sure you’re safe before he kicks me!” Panic rises in their voice as they hurry and Tommy feels the same fear hit the pit in his stomach.

“How did you even get in here?! How did you know what was going on?! Why-” His questions are interrupted by his own yelp as Han suddenly takes a right and they both duck into a small cave entrance.

Han releases his hand and hurries to dump out all they’d stolen onto the ground before sifting through it with frantic eyes. They pull a pickaxe from the pile, a diamond one of all things, and begin digging into the cave.

“What are you doing?!” Tommy looks at the pile and realizes that none of it could be gotten within the first minutes of being on any server unless… “Holy shit, you robbed the whole of L’Manberg.”

“Is that what that weird little town was called?” Tommy looks into the room Han’s digging out. They fumble through their inventory before groaning. “Do you have some wood? We need a crafting table. And some chests.” They go back to digging. “And probably a bed. And… fuck what else would a runaway need? A stove? Yeah.”

Tommy steps back with an awkward shrug. Yeah, they were talking to themself now, rambling about what was needed in this weird little hole in the ground. He picks up the stolen belongings and brings them into the room. Thankfully, he does have a crafting table on him and sets it down.

Han is so busy rambling that they don't notice so he decides to go ahead and make at least something that they were talking about. A furnace and- yes, he had enough wood!- a chest to store what the other had dropped in their panic.

It’s quiet for a few moments before Tommy realizes how dark it is. He digs through his own inventory and is glad to find a few torches. Must’ve grabbed them by accident earlier… He gets up and sets one on the wall.

When Han is satisfied with the size of the room, they turn to face him.

“Ok, you’ve got plenty of shit, this is pretty far away from that weird lil whatever he was keeping you at, and, uhhhhh.” They lean back and squint at the ceiling for a moment. “Yeah, seems good for a start!” They lean forward and smile, apparently satisfied with the progress.

“Can you  _ please _ answer my questions now?!” Tommy fumes, throwing his arms up.

“Oh, yeah, sure.” They chuckle awkwardly, leaning against the wall. “Uh, where do I start?”

“How about how did you know about this place?! Or how you knew about me?! Or-”

“Dude, this place is talked about in every server in the universe.” They state it so plainly that he freezes. “The Revolution of L’Manberg was a hot topic for over a month everywhere I’ve been. Hell, Technoblade leaving Hypixel to come help ‘round here was the only thing anyone wants to talk about on every PvP server there is. The bigger question would be if there’s anyone who  _ doesn’t _ know about this place.” They look at him with a curious frown. “Did you guys not realize how big rebelling against one of the current best players in the known worlds  _ on his own server  _ would wind up being?”

“How did you even get in here in the first place?!” Tommy interrupts, slamming his hand to the wall. He was shaking and their every word made him more aware of just how much reason Dream had to want him  _ dead _ .

They let out an over exaggerated sigh and rub at their face. They glance around, as if someone was in the room, spying.

“I know some people.” They admit, guiltily. “I got involved with people who were interested in seeing what was going on here outside the streams and we got a guy in. He’s a streamer too, but up and coming enough to be unsuspicious so he gives us updates.” They swallow and sit on the ground. “We thought it was all a play, you guys just playing a story. But then Soot...blew everything up.”

Tommy winces, feeling his chest ache at the reference to his older brother.

“Came back, as a Ghost, of all things.” They chuckle humorlessly. “And then you got kicked out of your country and…” They look up at him with such a heartbroken expression,  _ he _ feels guilty. “No one leaves this server anymore. No one’s seen anyone who gets on this server on any other server since that election you guys held.”

Tommy suddenly straightens up. “B-but Server Locking people’s against the rules! Everyone knows that!”

“But Dream’s  _ above _ the rules here.” They mutter just loud enough for Tommy to hear, looking off to the side sourly. “He’s said it so many times. He’s a  _ fucking God _ here.” Han looks up, green eyes meeting his grayed out blues with a stern expression. “When was the last time you left this server? The last time you’d heard of anyone not on Dream’s side left this place?”

Tommy felt the blood drain from his face. He… hadn’t even  _ thought _ about leaving.

_ Oh shit _ .

“ _ He Server Locked all of you. _ ” Han hisses through grit teeth. “Made sure you were stuck here until you  _ did what he wanted _ . And until he gets whatever it is he wants, I doubt any of you will remember there’s a world outside this server.”

“Then how the hell are you here?! How come you remember?!” 

They shake their head. “I got hacked in by my people, I didn’t even do it myself. He’s probably trying to track where I came from before he kicks me so he can make sure we don’t go and spill what he’s doing. If we do.” They hesitate, watching the way Tommy clutches at his tattered shirt. “They’ll take this server down. And he won’t want that and since I’m here, we can’t risk letting Dream follow our trail.”

Han gets up and Tommy instinctively flinches. They shrug off their flannel, revealing a plain gray t-shirt, and move towards Tommy.

He presses against the wall, baring his teeth in a shaky attempt to look threatening. They simply toss the jacket around his shoulders and step back.

“You, uh, need that more than I do, I think.” They smile gently, stepping back. He grabs at it, intending to throw it off with a huff about pity, only to shiver at a sudden gust of cold wind through the cave.

“Fuckin, stupid weather.” Han growls, moving to the door. “I’m gonna go grab some wood and make a fire pit. Sit tight, ok?”

Tommy nods, hugging the jacket closer as Han leaves.

It’s not till they’re outside that Han remembers they only have a pickaxe on them. They groan and turn to walk back in when they feel their communicator buzz.

The small device is withdrawn from their pocket, it's screen lighting up immediately.

_ ‘Dream whispers to you: You’ve got something of mine, hacker.’ _

The brunette’s lips curl back in a sneer. “How fuckin dare you, mother fucker.” Their response is punched in harder than necessary, but they’re fuming, too angry to care.

_ ‘You whisper to Dream: Fuck off, you manipulative piece of shit.’ _

_ ‘You whisper to Dream: I’m not letting you near this kid if I have to make 30 fuckin alts to hack in.’ _

They huff, satisfied with their furious answer, they decide to punch the tree down after all. If he was going to talk to them, they had time to gather up what they could.

Halfway through tearing down a tree, their communicator buzzes again.

_ ‘Dream whispers to you: You don’t have a lot of room to be talking like that.’ _

Han growls and throws together a crafting table and then an axe before answering.

_ ‘And why the fuck is that? I’m the one who’s got the dirt on you. I can get you torn the fuck down.’ _

_ ‘Because you’re on my server. And I can make sure you go down with me. You’re a filthy hacker and that’s just as bad.’ _

_ ‘Server Locking ain’t anywhere near bad as hacking.’ _

_ ‘Won’t be your first offense from what I’ve seen. They’ll be Locking you up if you get caught.’ _

_ ‘I’ll take being Locked for keeping you far away. And quit snoopin, my records ain’t your business.’ _

_ ‘Tell me who got you on my server and I’ll let you go, scott free.’ _

_ ‘Eat a dick.’ _

Han growls and shoves their communicator back into their pocket. “Like I’d ever give up my crew.” They scoff, chopping down another tree before heading back inside.

The buzzing in their pocket stops them just inside the cave entrance, annoyed as they retrieve the device.

Their eyes go wide and their face goes pale.

_ ‘Dream whispers to you: You better get real comfortable around here, then.’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and ye shall receive! Come one and All to the Official Discord for Server Break!  
> https://discord.gg/E6PjGbjWJU  
> We look forward to seeing you!  
> Got fanart you want us to see? @HanTheHeart on Tumblr or Twitter or add #ServerBreak!


	4. A Moment's Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy and Han get a break. The rest of the Crew decide to say hello.

Han strides into the room with a noticeable clench of their fists and baring of their teeth. It’s only now that they’re right next to him that Tommy notices how sharp the hacker’s teeth are…

"Well, looks like you're stuck with me longer than expected." They scoff, crossing their arms over their chest. Tommy flinches, pressing back against the wall. “Dream’s Locked me in.”

“He did?” Tommy’s voice is small and Han notices, head turning quickly, too quickly. He flinches again.

Han sucks a breath between their teeth. “Sorry. I’m not mad at you.” They assure him, moving to sit on the chest beside the entrance. “Dream’s just rilin’ me up. You’re okay.”

Tommy can’t help but flinch away again when the other reaches towards him. Probably meant to be a comforting gesture…

Han’s hand retreats from his vision and the cave goes quiet. Han fumbles with the crafting bench for a moment before throwing a firepit in the center of the room. They scoot closer and sit in front of the fire. Tommy feels himself leaning towards the warmth but stays rooted where he stands by the crafting table.

Part of him is demanding he bolt, run back to Logstedshire, to familiarity  _ and Dream _ . But another part wants to stay, he's so tired and hungry and this cave is safe and he has company and they  _ want _ to be there, they  _ saved him. _

He shudders and pulls the soft jacket closer. It's not terrible thick material, but it's warmer than his tattered shirt, staving off the cold air outside.

_ "Han, you good?" _ Comes the voice and Tommy jumps, pressing back into the wall. He didn't recognize it, but Han didn't hesitate to pick up their communicator.

"We're good, resting up for the moment.” They place it on their knee and lean back on their arms. “Got a fire, lil cave. Should hold up fine for the night. I’ll probably have to go grab some food soon.”

As if to demand he ask for food  _ now _ , his stomach growls obnoxiously loud. Han turns to look at him with wide eyes. He immediately draws into himself, flushing from embarrassment. Han chuckles and turns back to the communicator.

“Sooner than later, it’d seem.” They stand back up and stretch both arms above their head. “Bats, how ‘bout you hook up with his communicator and keep him company while I go grab something to eat?”

_ “Already have.”  _ Tommy jumps at the voice springing from his communicator, pulling the device out and staring at in surprise.

On the screen is the clear image of a red head who is just  _ covered  _ in freckles with a pair of  _ obnoxiously _ large glasses that glint in the light of what he assumes a computer from the desk and keyboard at the bottom of the frame. They grin and tilt their head to one side.

_ “Ayyy,Tommy!” _ They chirp, as if this isn’t an incredibly dangerous situation.

He blanks for a moment, staring at the screen in confusion. “Uh. H-hi?” His head snaps up to look at Han, who shrugs.

“Vibe. I’ll be back.” And they’re out their door, he  _ swears _ normal people can’t run that fast, but he’s really too tired to think about that. He looks back down at the communicator.

_“Soooo, you’re alive. Good!_ ” They don’t seem to know how to talk to people, focusing on trying to lighten the mood instead. _“I’m guessing it's been quite a day for you.”_ There are many fidgets toys around their desk, yet they just mess with their hair. They think for a moment “ … who is your favorite woman?”

“The Queen, obviously.” The answer spills out of him instinctively, with a roll of his eyes that feels ...so  _ normal _ but also  _ anxiety inducing. _ His fingers twitch, gripping the device a little tighter. “Who’s  _ your _ favorite woman?” He challenges back with a slight smirk.   
  


_ “If I say anyone other than the queen you will say that I’m wrong… I honestly never thought about it.” _

“Well you should!” He interrupts, but immediately covers his mouth. “Uh, s-sorry.”

They giggle, half covering their mouth with one hand and leaning against the desk. It’s then he notices a flutter behind them and he blinks at the image. A large pair of bat wings curl on either side of them, stretching slightly with each breath.

Bats turns to look behind them, stretching one wing out, they look back to him and grin giddly. _ “Ever seen a Bat hybrid before?” _

He nods slowly. “My, uh… My Dad’s one, I think.” Truthfully, he was just surprised to see another hybrid, especially another  _ bat _ .

The red head’s eyes light up and face splitting grin takes up his screen.  _ “Wanna see me do a backflip?!” _

He scoffs lightly, smirking and leaning against the wall. “5 gold nuggets says you can’t.”

Bats shoves off the desk and hops away. The screen is empty except the chair that’s left spinning from the other’s departure. There’s the sound of a shout and something flies up and loops, skimming the ceiling. Something else hops into frame from behind and Tommy winces, watching the two collide. They spin before Bats is holding the second figure by one leg as they hold onto a stalactite with one clawed foot. The second figure whoops excitedly.

_ “HOLY SHIT BATS, THAT WAS FUCKIN COOL! _ ” They gesture at the other, leaning up.  _ “Drop me! Drop me! I wanna see if I land on my feet!” _

_ “Do not drop them!”  _ Comes another voice and someone else- another winged hybrid- flutters up and attempts to grab the two dangling from the ceiling.

Tommy snickers and brings his legs closer so his communicator can rest on his legs while he pulls the jacket closer. It’s… comfortable, even for sitting on the stone floor of a cave. The brighter colored one flutters around the other two, clearly trying to talk them out of  _ whatever  _ stunt they’re about to pull but he’s not focusing on it too hard. Just glad to have sound- the sound of  _ people _ and  _ talking _ \- as he starts to nod off.

_ “Drop meeeee!!”  _ The one demands as the other says something in refusal, he swears it sounds like something Phil would say when he and Tubbo were goofing off where they weren’t supposed to.

_ “Bats, do not drop him!”  _ Tommy’s eyes droop and he smiles, listening to the group speak.

_ “BATS!”  _ Tommy jolts back awake at the louder voice, watching as the brightly colored hybrid dive bombs after the one who had been dangling from Bat’s hold. The redhead throws their head back and laughs at the excited yelling coming from below them. Clearly they’d gotten what they wanted.

Bats pushes off the stalactite and flies back over to the computer. There’s a loud  _ BANG  _ and a distant voice yells  _ “I’m alright!”. _

Tommy bursts into giggles, shoulders shaking from the sound. It’s…  _ nice _ .

_ “That’s it!” _ comes the voice of the other flying hybrid again.  _ “I’m putting up railings!” _

_ “NO!!” _ Comes the fuming voice of the jumper.  _ “I DON’T NEED RAILINGS!” _

_ “I’m putting up railings!” _

_ “I SURVIVED  _ **_SEVEN YEARS_ ** _ IN A HARDCORE WORLD, I DON’T NEED RAILINGS!” _ Any other arguing is cut off by another loud BANG and another  _ “I’m alright!” _ .

Tommy and Bats descend into a fit of laughter that rings through the cave. It’s so comforting, the sound of people and life exactly what he needs for the tension in his shoulders to finally give.

\---___---

Han returns to the cave, satisfied with about a dozen pieces of raw steak. They can cook it tonight and it should be enough for the day, at least long enough to get them to another place tomorrow. As they enter, they’re careful to block up the entrance behind them with dirt, enough to not give away the fire and maybe block some of the wind.

“Tommy?” They peek inside and look around the room. The fire is still going, though it's starting to die down a bit. Tommy is curled up against the wall with their flannel still around his shoulders. His communicator is still on with sound coming through at a low volume. Han can’t help the soft smile on their lips as they slip in on silent feet.

The steaks are set to cook and Han settles by the entrance. They retrieve their own communicator and turn it on.

“What’d you do, sing him a lullaby?” They ask with a light chuckle.

_ “We were just talking,”  _ Bats replies, tossing a small ball between their hands.  _ “He’s probably tired from… well, everything.” _

Han nods and looks up. Despite everything, he looks like he’s going to sleep fine for the moment. They let out a sigh and lean their head back against the cold stone.

_ “You should probably sleep too. You’re going to be exhausted tomorrow.” _ Han scoffs but nods.

“Yeah yeah, I will. Wake me if anything comes up.”

_ “I will, I’ll keep his equipment on to monitor the area.” _

“Alright. Talk to you guys soon.”

_ “Be safe.” _

With that, Han turns off the screen and sets the device on the ground beside them. They watch Tommy for a moment, how he shuffles slightly before falling still. His breathing is even and it puts Han’s nerves at ease.

He was safe. Han had gotten him away.

They close their eyes and start to drift.

_ Now they just needed to keep him safe. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and ye shall receive! Come one and All to the Official Discord for Server Break!  
> https://discord.gg/E6PjGbjWJU  
> We look forward to seeing you!  
> Got fanart you want us to see? @HanTheHeart on Tumblr or Twitter or add #ServerBreak!


	5. We'll Be Okay, I think

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when they thought they were safe...

Tommy wakes far calmer than he had in a long while.

He's on solid ground, for one thing. It's not quite as comfortable as his shitty cot and tent but it's… safer. It feels safer, at least. And it's warm. And there's the smell of food. Weird enough, he doesn’t flinch at the sound of talking.

"-Just wish I’d spent the night looking for iron or somethin’.” Han complains as they sit with their back to him, eating a piece of steak. Their communicator crackles and he hears the person from the night before- Bats, wasn’t it?- chuckle.

_ “There’ll be time to do that later. Dream’s doing his best to track us down so I’d say you’ve got all the time you need to to get him away.” _

Han chuckles and takes a sip from a canteen he hadn’t noticed before. Where had that come from?

“Oh, Y'all're givin’ that fucker a run around, right?!” Han laughs. “Bet Eli’s havin’ a blast with it.”

Tommy doesn’t bother to get up, simply scooting closer to the fire. He’s not too close and he’s sure he was almost completely silent, but Han holds a piece of steak out to him without a word. He takes it hesitantly and watches the other for a moment.

Han talks to their communicator, waving their hands about in front of them. It’s not big movements but he finds himself leaning away all the same.

_ “Ok, all the same Han,” _ Bat’s more serious tone snaps Tommy from his unfocused staring, eyes turning to the communicator.  _ “You guys should probably head out. The sun’s coming out from what I’m seeing and daylight burns fast out there.” _

“Yeah, we should pack up and keep moving.” Han turns and snatches up the crafting table. “We’ll head up north a bit more and see about setting up in a village or something.” They turn to Tommy with a cheerful smile. “Let’s hurry so we can grab some more food on the way.”

Tommy pulls most of the stuff from the chest, unable to stop himself from looking up at Han nervously as he puts the items in his inventory. Surely they wouldn’t take it too, right?

“Oh, here!” He blinks, jolting as Han holds the diamond pickaxe they’d used to clear out the cave. “You hold onto this, I’m better with my fists anyways.”

With nervous hands, he accepts the tool with a nod. “Uh, thanks.”

“Hopefully we can get you some armor soon, I think I got a few pieces of leather yesterday.” They open their inventory and toss him three pieces of leather. “We’ll craft you some when we settle down for the night.”

He’s surprised but nods and shoves the items away before Han can change their mind.

Han holds onto a few blocks they pull from the chest, about a third of a stack of cobblestone and some wood, and Tommy has the rest- which isn’t much, but it’s  _ something _ and he can’t help but smile at having things in his inventory Dream can’t take from him. Not at the moment anyways.

Han hops out of the little room and pulls out their communicator.

The easy going smile dies and a look of dread overcomes the brunette.

Tommy shudders and steps closer.

“H-Han?”

Their head whips towards him, eyes wide in panic. “We gotta go.” They speak softly before grabbing his arm. “We gotta go  _ now _ !” They pull him behind them and hurry out the entrance.

“W-what happened? What did Bats say?”

“Not Bats,” Han growls weakly. “Dream.”

Every muscle in Tommy’s body tenses and he stumbles. “D-Dream?!”

“Bastard says he’s on his way, we need to pearl as far from here as we can. The farther we get, the better.”

Tommy nods, struggling to keep up with Han’s quick steps. How was someone shorter than him faster? Surely his legs were longer than theirs!

“There you are, Tommy!”

Both Tommy and Han freeze at the chipper call. Before he has the chance to turn towards the sound, Han yanks Tommy behind them.

The vibrant green of Dream’s hoodie stands out like a splatter of fluorescent paint against the snow, mask tucked snugly in place in the hood. There’s noticeable patching done, off white streaks through the pristine porcelain of the rest of the mask. Han notices, with a small satisfied smirk, right where they’d shattered it only yesterday.

“Well, looks like you don’t give much warning.” Han scoffs, narrowing their eyes at the man. Tommy’s hands shake as attempts to shrink behind them.

“I didn’t  _ have  _ to give you any warning, to be fair.” Dream chuckles, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Could have just showed up.”

“And why didn’t you?” Han snaps at him, nose wrinkling as they bare their teeth. “Seems to me, you’re making this harder on yourself than you should for the guy in charge ‘round here.”

“More fun to watch you think you’ve got a chance.” He chuckles, tilting his head to one side. “You scramble around like a couple of bugs. Like the  _ filthy hacker you are. _ ”

“They’re better than you are right now.” Tommy scoffs softly, eyes to the ground. Han smirks at his words, giving his wrist a gentle squeeze.

Dream, however, growls lowly, arms tensing.

“Yeah, is it that right, Tommy?” He puts on a sickly sweet tone, holding his arms out. “After everything I’ve done for you? I’m your friend Tommy, remember?”

Tommy looks away with a guilty, shuffling closer behind Han.

“Alright, instead of trying to guilt trip the fuckin  _ teenager _ , how’s about  _ you  _ spill? What do you want?” They slip something from their pocket and into Tommy’s hand, closing his fist around the item tightly.

“Well, obviously I’m here to save my friend from the mad hacker who broke onto my server.” He says and Han feels a chill run up their spine.  _ The bastard is smirking under that mask _ , Han knows it and growls.

“Tommy, when I say go, run.”

He starts, looking up at them in surprise. “W-what?”

A pair of triangular ears pop out from under their fluffy brown hair, a lighter brown with white fur poking out of them. Han turns slightly and Tommy feels the blood drain from his face at how their pupils turn to slits.

“ _ Tommy, run! _ ” They snarl before turning and bolting forward. He stumbles back and scrambles in the snow.

The tips of Han’s fingers morph, becoming razor sharp claws that dig into the dirt as they charge in on all fours. Teeth sharpen and they let out a shrieking yowl.

Dream takes a surprised step back, hands going for his sword.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and ye shall receive! Come one and All to the Official Discord for Server Break!  
> https://discord.gg/E6PjGbjWJU  
> We look forward to seeing you!  
> Got fanart you want us to see? @HanTheHeart on Tumblr or Twitter or add #ServerBreak!


	6. You're Not His Friend Either

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream v Han Take 2, feat. Tommy needs Comfort.

Dream’s back crashes into the snow, his sword tossed into the drifts. Han’s body slams onto his chest and one hand is immediately held up, poised to strike down at his face again. The masked man throws his arms up, landing a swift punch to the other’s jaw while trying to shove them off.

Their head twists to the side with the blow but they turn back around to sink their teeth into his hand, easily breaking the thick leather fingerless gloves that cover his hands. Their hand grabs onto his wrist , the other digging her claws into his shoulder.

Dream lets out a yell, tanking his hand free from the fanged maw.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” He snarls back, shoving at them with both hands. Han moves but immediately throws themself forward to slam their fists down on his chest and face.

His mask is ripped from his face and Dream lets out a shout at the action.

“FAKE ASS MOTHERFUCKER!” Han shrieks, their ears folded back against their head and eyes wide with a violent light. Their teeth bare and a loud hiss slips out. “WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU GET OFF ACTING LIKE THAT?! A FUCKING  _ TEENAGER _ ? YOUR BITCHASS IS DEAD, DO YOU HEAR ME?!” Each sentence was punctuated with another blow brought down from above Han’s head. “I SWEAR TO ENDER, I’LL RIP YOUR FUCKIN FACE OFF! YOU GOT NO FUCKING RIGHT!  _ NOTHING _ !  _ NOTHING _ IN THE WHOLE OF THE UNIVERSE GIVES YOU THE  _ RIGHT _ ! TO  _ EVER _ !  _ EVER _ ! FUCKING MESS WITH SOMEONE LIKE THAT!  _ ESPECIALLY  _ A FUCKING TEENAGER! A  _ KID _ !” Tears burn at their eyes as they shout, unrelenting in their barrage of attacks.

“Shut UP!” He shoves at them, throwing his weight enough to toss them off his chest. “YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT’S GOING ON!”

Han rolls in the snow and Dream scrambles to his feet. He hurries to try and run, scrambling to get his footing in the snow.

Clawed fingers latch onto his ankle and yank back, throwing off his balance. He crashes to the ground, gagging at the snow suddenly in his mouth.

Han gets to their hands and glares at Dream. “I DON’T HAVE TO KNOW THE WHY’S TO KNOW THAT YOU TEARING A FUCKIN  _ KID _ FROM EVERYONE HE LOVES AND FUCKING  _ TORTURING HIM _ IS UN-AC- _ FUCKING- _ CEPTABLE!” They throw themselves at him, wrapping one arm around his legs, the other hand clawing into his back.

He shouts again and kicks, nailing Han in the face with his boot. They fumble back, giving him the opportunity he needs to struggle free of their grasp. A pearl is pulled from his pocket and he rears back to throw it. Han pounces, claws digging into his arm and shoulder, teeth sinking into his other shoulder as they kick at the back of his legs.

The weight throws him to the ground and they’re fumbling in the snow again. Han struggles to try and grab the pearl, swiping at his hand. Dream snarls and swings his arm back, elbow slamming into the other’s nose. They screech and shove his arm away.

Dream throws his weight, forcing them to flip so Han is pinned to the ground under his back. They screech and claw at him, cursing between each inhuman sound. The masked man leans up before slamming the back of his head into their face. Han shrieks again and shoves him.

He barely moves but manages to turn so his arm is pressed to their throat. They snarl and claw at his face, fury boring into the green eyes that reflect back at them.

“That’s  _ enough _ out of you,  _ hacker _ .” He growls, pressing more of his weight to keep them in place. “This stupid game of chase is  _ over _ .”

The sound of boots crunching through the snow make Han look around in confusion. A pair of black boots step into sight behind Han’s head. Their eyes widen and they suck in a breath.

The blond man in the white hoodie grinned down at them with a tilt of his head. “Game over, Hacker.” He echoed.

The boot raised.

And then the world went black.

\---___---

The pearl shatters and Tommy crashes to the ground. His breathing is so quick that his chest hurts and his skin burns from the freezing snow when it comes in contact with his bare foot or hands. But he gets up and runs, sprints with everything he has. His whole body trembles as adrenaline and fear pulse through his veins, spurring him to move faster,  _ faster, get away, get to safety, run as far as you can- _

A sob tears its way out of his throat, his hands shaking as he clutches the front of Han’s flannel to his chest. It barely fit on his arms, but it was more layers than he had otherwise.

_ Han _ .

His eyes burn at the cold, dry air as he tries to wipe the tears away.

He hoped they were ok.  _ They had to be okay, they were fast, they could outrun Dream, they had to- _

_ Dream might have already beaten Han, and was making his way to Tommy at this very moment- _

The thought has him choking up, suddenly desperate to be hiding, behind something, in a  _ cave _ , in a  _ tree _ for End’s sake,  _ SOMETHING _ !

He turns and takes shaky strides towards some trees in the corner of his vision. He stumbles and falls to his knees, crawling the last few steps to the small patch of un-snowed-on grass near the bottom of the tree. Curling into himself, he retrieves his communicator with shaky fingers.

“B-b-b-b-Bats, Bats p-please pick up.” His voice is shaky with cold and his sobs and he’d be so embarrassed if he was thinking properly but he’s scared,  _ gods he is so fucking scared, Dream could be here at any moment but he can’t bring himself to stand up, his everything hurts, oh gods he’s so scared, please don’t leave him alone, please- _

“Tommy, dude, you gotta breathe, we’re trying to find Han.” The voice breaks him from the spiral of thoughts and it’s only then he realizes he’s been speaking those thoughts out loud. “We’re trying, ok? We’re gonna find them, just breathe!”

The hacker on the other side of the screen is frantic, nearly pounding at their keyboard and looking between several monitors at once. Tommy catches a glance of something brightly colored- Bloom, wasn’t it?- moving about in the background. He could hear them talking and someone else responding from farther away from the microphone.

“Wh-what happened to them?!” He pleads, clutching the device with both hands. “D-did Dream c-catch them? Did he kill th-them?” His face pales at the thought.

“We don’t know, we can’t even  _ find them _ !” Bats fumes and he swears he sees a tear at the corner of their eye, but if there was, it’s gone with the next turn of their head. “Tommy, look, Han’s probably fine.” They stop for a moment to meet his gaze, an unsteady smile on their face. “They’re a great fighter, Dream’s probably fucking with our equiment or something. They’re, uh, probably already on their way to you right now!”

“We should be more worried that Dream’s dead by now!” Comes another voice, someone popping into the frame with a bright grin. The black horns are enough for him to realize that it’s not the same Ram hybrid Bats had been throwing around yesterday. “Han’s totally got this! We’ll find ‘em!”

Tommy takes a shaky breath, shuddering at how it burns his throat. He tugs the flannel closer and guilt suddenly burns at the back of head.

_ He’d just run off. He ran away, like a coward. He was supposed to be able to stand up to Dream, that was, like, his whole  _ thing _! He’d left Han, a complete stranger by all rights, to face the strongest person on the entire server.  _ The shaking in his hands returned as he drops the communicator, burying his face in his hands. A sob wretches it’s way out of his chest and he curls tightly in on himself.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He bawls into his palms, feeling the hot tear tracks only temporarily replacing the sting of the cold on his skin. His throat hurts and he can’t tell if it’s from the cold or his sobbing or the fact that he probably screamed at some point while running away from the fight- he can’t really remember if he had or not. He just wants to lay down and not get up, curl up on the ground of a cave and cry himself out or something.

He can hear them talking from his communicator but it sounds so far away somehow. He can’t focus on it, can barely hear anything over the way his blood  _ pounds  _ in his ears, the sound of his own breathing and sobs-  _ gods, he sounds like such a wimp _ .

He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to focus on something,  _ anything, _ other than the pathetic sobs and whimpers that come from his own mouth.

It could be only a few seconds or it could hours, he can’t tell, when he feels a hand on his shoulder. He jolts, instinctively trying to cover his head and shrink into the tree trunk. A soft voice catches his attention, the hand pulling away but the warmth stays close, hovering over his shoulder.

“Tommy, I need you to answer me, okay?” It’s familiar but doesn’t sound right somehow? Like something is missing from the soft voice.

_ Static. _

_ It’s missing static. _

_ The voice isn’t coming through any electronic, it’s  _ here _ , it’s… it’s  _ real.

He looks up.

The yellow and pink of their wings seems even more vibrant in person as they flutter on the hybrid’s back, looking down at him in concern from her position kneeling in front of him. Her eyes are almost gold in shade, if not for how worry darkens her gaze.

“You’re okay, we’re here Tommy.” She smiles softly. “You’re safe now, ok?”

He nods slowly, sniffling.

“Do you know who I am?”

“You’re, uh… Bloom?”  _ Oh, please say that’s the right name _ .

She nods and he notices a small bit of tenseness disappear from her shoulders. Slowly, she holds her hand to him. He takes it and the hybrid gets to her feet, pulling him to his own. Her movements are deliberate, careful and she’s watching his every reaction so intently, he worries. Is she judging him for crying like this? Maybe she’s disappointed he’s such a wimp?

“Are you good to walk? Eli can carry you if you want.” Bloom offers and Tommy blinks a few times as the words register.

“U-uh… I think.” His voice sounds hoarse even to his own ears and he’s still shaking so hard that he  _ knows _ he shouldn’t walk much further, but his pride- _ blasted, stubborn, damning pride _ \- refuses the offer. “I’ll be fine.”

Bloom doesn’t look like she believes him but another being appears over her shoulder before she can say anything.

“We should get moving,” They say, their long ears flicking some snow off. “There might be others coming.”

Bloom nods and gestures for Tommy to follow them. He takes unsteady steps forward, looking down to watch his step. A weight rests across his shoulders and his gaze snaps up to see Bloom putting her arm around him, her wings and the cape that lays over them shielding from the cold.

He looks between her and the silver horned Ram before them- They were called Crow, right?- and finds himself leaning into the moth’s side as they walk.

If he stumbles a bit, they say nothing, and if he needs to stop to catch his breath, they just wait without a word. And if he notices the way Crow keeps looking back at him, he doesn’t say a word, or the way that Bloom keeps sending messages on her communicator while not taking her eye off him, he doesn’t mention it either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and ye shall receive! Come one and All to the Official Discord for Server Break!  
> https://discord.gg/E6PjGbjWJU  
> We look forward to seeing you!  
> Got fanart you want us to see? @HanTheHeart on Tumblr or Twitter or add #ServerBreak!


	7. The Cat Is Now In The Bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream boxed the Cat.  
> Now he's got a neon rabbit to worry about.

The world was darkness, a faint rumble, and a throbbing pain in their face. There was some faint awareness they were moving but it was overwhelmed by the darkness that dragged them deeper in.

The loss of movement for a moment coaxes them from the emptiness slightly, enough to draw a groan of pain.

And then they were tossed to the ground.

An indignant shriek leaves their mouth as they crash to the ground- wait, not ground, this wasn’t dirt. Han’s eyes fly open as their lips curl back. That  _ stupid mask _ smiles down at them from-  _ wait a minute _ .

They shove off the ground and reach up with wide eyes. “DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE-!”

Dream grins as he slams the iron bars closed on the Obsidian hole and the hybrid within screeches as they struggle to shove them back open.

“DREAM YOU BASTARD, OPEN THIS BACK UP RIGHT NOW, I SWEAR TO ENDER I’M GONNA TEAR YOUR THROAT OUT!” Han screams, struggling to pull themselves up by their own arm strength. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

The shrieking continues as the masked man turns to his companion in the white hoodie, the echo of the indignant hybrid slowly quieting behind them as the two move forwards together, away from their prisoner. All that remains to be seen and heard through slitted eyes and perked ears are footsteps, then drowning silence.

The feline growls, kicking at the ground in annoyance. They pace the two by two block hole in the ground, looking up at the single block opening in the top with bared fangs.

“No, no no no.” Han growls. They stomp their feet before rearing one foot up to kick at the obsidian wall. “BY THE NETHER, I’LL KILL YOU, YOU MASKED BITCH!” They collapse backwards to lay on the ground, shoulders heaving with their breathing. A hand moves up and runs through brown locks, shoving them off the hybrid’s forehead.

“Dammit all.” They sigh and close their eyes.

Suddenly, a victorious laugh bubbles up and they throw both arms in the air. It tears at their throat and turns into an echoing cackle.

“YOU DIDN’T FUCKING CATCH HIM! HE FUCKING GOT AWAY, DIDN’T HE, BITCH? YOU’RE NEVER GONNA SEE THAT KID AGAIN, ESPECIALLY ONCE I GET OUT OF HERE MOTHERFUCKER!” The laughter echoes, near delirious as they lay against the obsidian.

\---___---

**_Cosmi_Latte joined the server._ **

As it usually begins. And feeling his grip over the server slip, something sharp, knowing without even having to look at his communicator, he gives a frustrated mutter. What next?

_ Cosmi_Latte whispered to you: I keep my word, Dream. Do you keep yours? _

_ Cosmi_Latte whispered to you: Consider this my knock, open the door. _

With a grumble, he steps out into another stone hallway, hand brushing along the cold walls as he finds a door and pushes it open. On the other side of it, a cleanly dressed player in a mint and pink cat mask steps over, tilting up the mask just slightly to show a smile as they offer out a hand.

_ Cosmi_Latte whispered to you: It is an honor, Dream.  _

Behind his own mask, his nose scrunches as a slight frown tugs at his lips.  _ ‘Another fucking Hacker,’ _ says the soft annoyed voice in the back of his head.

“I’d say the same, but I don’t believe I know you.”

At that same moment, Punz steps out of a hallway behind Dream and he can hear the mercenary draw out his sword.

“We have a problem here, Dream?”

“No, it’s fine Punz. I can handle it.” He gestures over his shoulder for the other man to back down, not once looking away from the stranger. Punz mutters something under his breath that neither masked being pays attention to before closing the door he’d come through, leaving the two alone.

The user with the vibrant mask pauses for the briefest of moments, appearing to evaluate the situation before sending a whisper again.

_ Cosmi_Latte whispers to you: No need to worry your green hood, I'm unarmed. _

They spread out their hands as if indicating their lack of weapons.

_ Cosmi_Latte whispers to you: I hear you have a hacker problem, and I do believe the both of us have a shared enemy. _

His head tilts to one side curiously. A slight frown tugs at his features, obscured as they are. Dream brings his arms up to cross over his chest.

“Is that right? And  _ how is it _ that you know about that?” 

_ Cosmi_Latte whispers to you: Well, other than the lovely mess of familiar screams I hear around this mountain, the broken Player List would be a nice indicator, hm?  _

A slight growls claws at the back of his throat and he huffs.”So you know these  _ filthy hackers _ then?”

Their body language reads as almost sarcastic when they whisper;

_ Cosmi_Latte whispers to you: I had a Lovely run-in with one of their attack dogs a few months back, and I am not one to forget polite encounters with good people. _

“Ah, I see.” He can’t help the smirk that flits across his face. “Common enemy indeed.” He steps to one side, gesturing for them to enter. “Perhaps we can work something out then, hm?”

_ Cosmi_Latte whispers to you: That would work well, thank you.  _

The lime-and-pink player offers out an apple, the gold still molten as it curls around bare fingers, stepping into the tunnels as they pass Dream.

<Cosmi_Latte> We have much to take care of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and ye shall receive! Come one and All to the Official Discord for Server Break!  
> https://discord.gg/E6PjGbjWJU  
> We look forward to seeing you!  
> Got fanart you want us to see? @HanTheHeart on Tumblr or Twitter or add #ServerBreak!


	8. Warmth Is More Than A Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy finds shelter with Bloom and Crow.

The sky is beginning to darken by the time the trio stumble their way into a village deep in the arctic biome. Tommy’s leaning heavily on Bloom, shivering and far too exhausted to bother arguing anything with the two hybrids.

Bloom takes the blond to a small fire pit in the village as Crow goes to talk with some villagers, sitting the boy down on a cleaned off bench before draping her own cloak over his shoulders. He says nothing, looking close to passing out as his eyes drift down slightly before he snaps back up several times.

“Tommy?” The moth kneels in front him, tilting her head to the side in worry. “You can rest if you need to, Crow and I can take care of it from here.”  _ Can take care of you _ , the unspoken assurance not lost on the boy, but TommyInnit is nothing if not stubborn.

He shakes his head, drawing his legs up to his chest and tucking himself into the cloak and flannel. His eyelids are heavy but he can’t bring himself to sleep despite how badly he wants to.

Bloom sighs and nods, resigned. “Ok, if you’re sure.”

She doesn’t seem convinced.

The sound of snow crunching underfoot sends a shiver up Tommy’s back and he tenses.

“They’ve got a spare house nearby that they’ll let us stay at.” Crow leans against the bench beside Bloom, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's warm, out of the snow, and it only has one entrance, so I can easily defend, worst comes to worst."

Bloom looks up to the Ram hybrid and nods. “Alright, let’s go.” She turns back to Tommy with a soft smile. “You can rest up while we get some supplies, ok?”

He nods shakily, too exhausted to give his usual banter. 

He’s aware of the two speaking above his head but his mind is starting to fade. He can’t bring himself to focus on anything but the gentle crackle of the fire in front of him. The steady flickering of the flames is soothing and warm in a way he can’t recall feeling in so long.

His view of the fire is obstructed suddenly and he lets out a soft whine, flinching.  _ Don’t take this away Dream, just let him be warm for a little bit, please. _

Someone picks him up and holds him close to their chest, prompting another whimpery sound from the boy’s throat. A hand gently brushes through his hair and he leans into it, feeling the tension melt from his shoulders. He’s so tired and the layers wrapped around him are comforting, the gentle rocking of whoever’s carrying him pulls him deeper into sleep.

\---___---

It’s been so long since Tommy had woken so slowly and to such a comfortable sleeping place that he almost refuses to let himself become conscious. He burrows deeper under the thick blankets, pressing into the soft mattress and pillow that seem to drag him deeper back into sleep.

He hears a voice speaking, something soft, their tone more soothing than… well, anyone he’s been around in a long while. Fingers gently brush through his hair, some murmuring about brushing knots out.

If he let himself fall deeper into the warm darkness, he could almost imagine it’s his dad, back when he was small and so much younger, more innocent.

_ “TWO TRUCKS HAVING SEX!”  _ Tommy’s eyes fly open as he shoots up in the bed, looking around in a confused panic.  _ “TWO TRUCKS HAVING SEX!” _ He nearly flings himself off the bed at the sound of the voice from before shouting for someone to  _ turn that off right now Crow, you’ll scare him half to death- _ oh.

Chest heaving, Tommy watches as the scene unfolds before him.

“Crow!” Bloom yelps, rushing over to the taller hybrid, her wings flaring out and fluttering about in a panic. “Crow, shut it off! Crow, he was  _ sleeping _ !”

“I’m trying! I’m trying!” The silver horned ram bounces from one foot to the other, trying to shut off the blaring music. “Shit shit shit!” They squeak, roughly pressing at buttons and the screen.

_ “MY MUSCLES!”  _ The music continues on,  _ “MY MUSCLES! INVOLUNTARILY FLEX!” _

As suddenly as it had begun, the music cuts and the two hybrids let out simultaneous sighs of relief. Bloom’s wings droop back down as she turns back with one hand to her forehead. She shakes her head for a moment before looking back to Tommy. She jolts at the realization he was sitting up, staring at them both with eyes blown wide in panicked confusion.

“O-oh! Hey! You’re up!” She squeaks, clapping her hands together and standing a little straighter. "We didn't mean to wake you!" She elbows Crow's arm, the taller hybrid jumping slightly in surprise before quickly nodding in agreement.

"Y-yeah! Sorry about that Tommy."

"It's, uh… it's ok." His grip on the blankets doesn't lessen, nor does the tension in his body that's prepared to make a run for it.

Crow steps back, shoving their communicator into their pocket and looking down at their feet guiltily.

Bloom, smiling gently, moves over to kneel by the bed. "Are you hungry? We've got some bread and stew ready."

An obnoxious grumble in his stomach reminded the poor blond he hadn't eaten since the morning before with…

He shoos the thought off and nods slowly. “Yes please.” He winces to himself at how soft his voice is. That isn’t the voice of TommyInnit, that’s not even  _ Tom. _

He barely even notices Bloom getting up to get him food, staring at the blanket in his lap. Roughly, he rubs the back of his arm across his eyes, trying to clear away the residue of sleep.

“Uhh, hey.”

His gaze snaps up, instinctively flinching and arms pulling tight to protect his chest. The silver horned hybrid flinches slightly, scooting the chair they sit in back a bit.

“Sorry. I just- I wanted to apologize. For waking you up earlier.” They look down, awkwardly toying with the hem of their jacket. “It, uh, it usually isn't set that loud but it's the only way to get my attention in my world and I guess I forgot to change it back.."

“It’s uh. It’s fine.” He murmurs, looking the other over hesitantly.

The messy mop of black hair atop their head does nothing to hide the light gray horns that curl around floppy gray ram’s ears on either side of their head. They have strange rectangular pupils but he can only think to chalk it up to their obvious hybrid state. The green jacket they wear is covered in a fine layer of dirt, as is the gray shirt and cargo pants they wear.

“I’m uh, a bit of a grinder.” The ram chuckles, looking down at their clothes. “Was digging up materials when the others started freaking out about Han getting caught.” He leans back in the chair slightly, rubbing a hand over his face, looking out the window. “Han really just jumped in here the moment they realized what you were going through. And Bloom thinks  _ I’m _ spontaneous.”

Tommy freezes, eyes widening at Crow’s words. “Han… really?”

Crow sighs and looks down at his hands. “Yeah. We’d been checking in on things since you got exiled and… man, I’m so sorry we took so long. You shouldn’t have had to go through all that, but…” Crow looks up with a small smile on their face. “We’re here now, we’re gonna help you and everybody else get out of here.”

The blond’s fingers curl into the blanket as he nods slowly.

Bloom steps around Crow carefully and holds out a bowl to Tommy, a gentle smile on her face. “It’s mostly broth, I wasn’t sure if you were up for anything more.”

He takes it carefully, watching as Bloom turns to Crow, muttering something about how they need to set up properly. He sips the broth, listening as Bloom and Crow move back towards the other end of the room, talking about how to get materials for armor and weapons and how they need to make sure they’ll be alright.

To make sure  _ he’s  _ alright.

He stares down at the bowl, taking in his reflection. His face is filthy and the bags under his eyes look more like the bruises that litter his skin, even in the murky liquid.

_ ‘Nobody cares about you,’ _ He can hear Dream in the back of his head.  _ ‘I’m your only friend!’ _ And he feels sick.

“I need some air.” He mutters, drawing his legs up closer to his chest and sipping at the soup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT TOOK SIX MILLION YEARS JEEZ.  
> Come one and All to the Official Discord for Server Break!  
> https://discord.gg/E6PjGbjWJU  
> We look forward to seeing you!  
> Got fanart you want us to see? @HanTheHeart on Tumblr or Twitter or add #ServerBreak!


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